Pilferage of goods from supermarkets and department stores is a major cause of economic loss. Since the baskets of shopping carts are usually maintained spaced above the wheeled portion of the cart's base, the region below the shopping cart basket naturally lends itself to storage of merchandise that can be overlooked by checkout personnel.
In recognition of this long-standing problem, U.S. Pat. No. 3,829,114 discloses one attempt to frustrate use of the region below the cart basket to prevent pilferage. According to the structure of this patent, the wheeled portion of the cart base is provided with a plurality of upwardly inclined struts functioning as obstructions, which struts are added to the standard base of existing carts. While the structure of this patent has been commercially utilized on shopping carts and has proven at least somewhat successful in minimizing pilferage, nevertheless the utilization of additional inclined struts in the manner suggested by this patent is undesirable since it not only significantly adds to the cost of the cart, but it also results in the cart having an undesirable appearance.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,084,832 illustrates a further attempt at minimizing the pilferage problem by providing a cart base which attempts to minimize storage of goods thereon. The base of this latter patent has also been commercially utilized and, while it does minimize pilferage, nevertheless even this base is of less than optimum design in view of the additional manufacturing steps and hence expense involved. More specifically, the undercarriage or base disclosed in this patent utilizes two U-shaped tubular members, a first of which functions in a conventional manner as the basket support and as the terminals for the rear wheels, and the second of which supports the front casters and has leg portions formed in an inverted V-shape, the apex of which is welded to the basket support. Due to the rather complex configuration of the second U-shaped member, including the substantial number of bends and the required number of welded connections between the two U-shaped members (coupled with the additional welded reinforcement associated with each V-shaped portion of the second member), the overall manufacture and assembly of this base is rather time consuming and expensive.
Thus, the object of this invention is to provide an improved base or underframe construction for a nestable shopping cart, which base is extremely effective in minimizing or preventing storage of goods thereon so as to thereby greatly reduce loss due to pilferage. A further object is to provide an improved base, as aforesaid, which simplifies manufacture of the base in contrast to prior known anti-pilferage bases, thereby reducing the cost of the overall cart and at the same time providing a cart having a desirable appearance. These and other objects of the invention are accomplished by the simplified base construction of the present invention without interfering with the desired strength and rigidity of the cart or the nestability thereof with other like carts.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent hereinafter after reading the following description and inspecting the accompanying drawings.
Briefly summarizing the present invention, same comprises an improved base for a nestable shopping cart, which base provides an improved and simplified construction that has both nesting and anti-pilferage characteristics. The improved base or underframe is formed primarily by use of only two U-shaped tubular members, the first said member being conventional and having the bight and adjacent leg portions arranged generally planar and approximately horizontal so as to permit the basket to be supported directly thereon, with the portions of the legs that are distal from the bight being formed to extend downwardly so as to define laterally spaced upright legs, the lower ends of which are joined to the rear wheel assemblies. The second said U-shaped member has the bight thereof disposed directly adjacent but slightly above the caster plate which mounts thereon the front caster assemblies. The leg portions of this second member extend rearwardly and diverge slightly outwardly from the ends of its bight, and also incline upwardly and rearwardly from a location adjacent said bight to a point at which the rearward free ends of the legs directly engage and are fixedly secured to the leg portions of the first U-member in the vicinity of the upper ends of said upright legs. A short and approximately vertically extending brace has the upper end thereof fixedly secured to the leg of the first U-member substantially centrally thereof, and the lower end thereof is fixedly secured to the respective leg of the second U-member intermediate the length thereof. This brace, and its cooperation with the legs of the two U-shaped members, results in formation of a substantially triangular structure in the vicinity of the rear lower edge of the basket to provide the base with substantial strength and rigidity.